Happily Ever After
by Bramblepool
Summary: Volger's plan was flawless. No one would look for Alek in the heart of the Darwinistic Empire. There was no way anything could go wrong! Alek was sure of it. But then... Then he met Deryn. And then he wasn't so sure. T just to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**Well, fancy seeing you here! This…was meant to be a oneshot. I promise, it was! I really tried! But then, it turned into an eight-shot. *Sigh* Now, I shall explain. This takes place in an AU where Deryn never went on the **_**Leviathan **_**and Alek, Volger, and the rest of his men ended up in Glasgow. Got it? So, off we go!**

**WARNING:**

**This story contains OCs. Many, many, **_**many **_**OCs. Following that logic, if you hate OCs, you probably shall not like this story.**

**DIIIIIIIIISCLAAAAAIIIIIMER!**

**I don't own **_**Leviathan. **_**But for once, I **_**do **_**own something. But those are only my OCs.**

"Honestly, I don't understand why she can't just let me barking be!" Deryn ranted, trying not to trip on the curb. "If I wanna wear trousers, I should—Oh. Oh, _blisters."_

Finn, Deryn's best friend, stopped walking and finally began paying attention to her. "Hmm?"

Deryn tried to tear her eyes away. "It's…it's nothing."

He raised a hand and flicked her hard in the side of her head. "Oi!"

That was enough to break Deryn from her daze. "_Ow! _What was that for?"

"You weren't paying attention."

"Oh like you should…you should…" He was closer now. She could see the darker flecks of green in his eyes.

Finn followed her gaze. "Now, who in blazes is _that?"_

"I have _no _idea," Deryn sighed dreamily, then caught herself and said in a much less girly voice, "Must have just got—"

Finn was staring at her with a very curious expression. One of his eyebrows was quirked upward and he was thoughtfully stroking his chin. "How fascinating."

"Um…huh?"

"It appears that you've finally found a boy that you fancy! Congrats, Der!" He announced, clapping her on the back.

Deryn felt her cheeks heat up a little in embarrassment. "Shove off, Finn. I do _not."_

Finn was _grinning _now! "And she blushes! Only more confirmation that you loooooooo—"

Deryn smacked him in the arm hard enough to leave a good sized bruise. "Shush! He can hear you!"

"Oh, fine," Finn huffed, rubbing at his arm. However, soon the mischievous glint reappeared in his eyes. He began whistling not-so-nonchalantly, and when the mystery boy was only a few feet away, he gave her a good solid shove in the boy's direction.

Maybe, if she hadn't had all those barking skirts, Deryn would have been able to regain her balance. But instead, she tumbled over, effectively bowling the boy over. She found herself next, laying on top of the boy, face turning scarlet. "Blisters! I—I'm so sorry!"

The boy was looking quite a bit flustered himself. "It's quite alright, miss."

Deryn tried to roll off of him, ignoring Finn's barely suppressed laughter. The boy popped back up as soon as he could and offered Deryn a polite hand. Deryn grabbed onto it, pulling herself to her feet. "Thank you…Ah, who are you?"

He bowed stiffly and hurriedly. "Alek."

Deryn gave him a little curtsy. "Deryn Sharp." She hesitated. "Sorry, I…I tripped."

Finn grinned and shoved in between them, holding out a hand. "Finn McClaud."

"You mean _Finley Sclymgeour McClaud," _Deryn corrected with a smirk.

"Aye, _that," _he said, shooting her a glare.

Alek's dark green eyes flicked about nervously. "Ah, I see."

"Wait," Finn said. "Is that a _clanker _accent you've got?'

Now that he mentioned it, the boy's voice _was_ a wee bit odd. "N—no," the boy sputtered. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

A mustachioed man swooped down on Alek, furiously whispering something into his ear. He nodded to them. "I apologize, but I must go. It was nice meeting you."

The man looked disapprovingly down his nose at them, then whisked Deryn's dream-boy away by his ear.

Finn laughed at her shocked expression while she huffed and stormed off.

"Now, what did I tell you about socializing with commoners?"

"_They _talked to _me!"_

"Ah yes, as I could see. On that topic, how _dare _you defile a young woman like that? I thought your upbringing would teach you better than to act on your ridiculous biological urges!"

"Of course I know better!" Alek cried, cheeks turning pink. "_I _didn't defile anything! If anything, _she _defiled _me!"_

"I can't leave you to your own devices for even a moment," Count Volger grumbled.

Alek crossed his arms in frustration and dropped down onto the couch. "Why are we even in Glasgow in the first place?"

Volger gestured to their surroundings. "We are in the heart of Darwinist land, Alek. No one will think us senseless enough to come here, and thus no one will think to look here. We are outsmarting them by being idiots."

Despite his annoyance at the man, Alek had to admit, it was a good plan. "It's flawless!"

"Unfortunately," Volger sighed. "No plan can be truly flawless."

When Alek was finally allowed out of the rented room, he was probably just as worried as Volger was. What if someone saw him and recognized him? Alek cautiously fingered the knife at his hip. It was really a quite simple task. Go to the market and buy some potatoes. It seemed easy enough, but the difficulties soon made themselves known.

"Hello," the girl said in a soft voice, batting her long eyelashes. "My name's Classandra Williams, but you can just call me Classandra. I haven't seen you around here. What's your name?"

Alek swallowed nervously. "Alek. It has been wonderful to meet you, but—"

She wasn't listening. "Girls! Come over and meet him!"

A crowd of young women gathered around him. "His name is _Alek." _Classandra said, running a finger down his cheek.

"Ah, hello," Alek said, blushing furiously as her finger trailed down to the collar of his shirt.

The girls around him repeatedly whispered his name, "ooh"ing and "ah"ing. Alek was very overwhelmed. Although the girls were all beautiful, (_especially _Classandra) the cloying smell of their perfumes was choking him, and he was almost sure that he felt a few hands under his shirt. Finally, he saw his chance of escape.

Deryn, the girl from yesterday, was walking into the marketplace, a tall boy who looked quite a bit like Deryn herself at her side. The both of them were remarkably oblivious to Alek's distress. Once Deryn was in earshot, Alek said to the girls…

"I apologize, but my…girlfriend is here. I must go."

Deryn's heart plummeted down to her toes. So this boy was already taken. Not that she _cared _about his love life, of course!

She heard various sighs of disappointment from the throng of girls around him, and yet again, Deryn felt a flicker of jealousy. What she would have done to join those girls, fawning over Alek…to be so close to him…to have his big, strong arms around her…

Deryn pretended not to watch as Alek worked his way out of the crowd. "Deryn!"

Her heart unceremoniously stopped beating. He was…he was…_what? _With an audible "whump," the girls turned to glare at her furiously. She could feel Jaspert staring at her too. Alek walked towards her, a tiny smile on his lips, his eyes begging at her to stay quiet.

Unable to speak, she just grabbed hard onto his wrist and marched him away from all of the prying eyes. Once they were in an abandoned alley, a good ten minutes away from the market, Deryn found her voice. "Alek, what in blazes are you talking about?"

Alek winced and gently pulled his wrist from her. "Oh, yes. Sorry about that. But thank you. You really saved me from quite a bit of trouble there."

"What do you mean?"

"I…those girls…they were asking too many questions. I couldn't have them find out who I am."

Deryn raised an eyebrow. "Are you some kind of criminal?"

"_No! _I just—I'm not exactly who I say I am."

"And I'm _not _going to get arrested for talking to you?"

"Not unless they find out who I am," he said with a shrug.

Deryn sighed and grabbed onto his wrist again. "Alright, let's go."

"Where are you taking me?"

Deryn began pulling him out of the alley. "Well, you _did _tell those girls that we were a couple. Probably best that we've at least gone on our first date."

**AND SO BEGINS THE ADVENTURE! I hope you don't hate my OCs **_**all **_**too much. I myself am quite fond of Finn. So, reviews. Just so you know, I love them. They're like comfort food to me. I read them over, and over, and over again, and they make me happy whenever I'm sad, or in a bad mood. And so, even if you hated this story or want me to die in a miserable and painful way, just say SOMETHING, aye? Please? Thanks a ton for reading this, if you did. PEACE OUT!**

**Note from ChickWithThePurpleGuitar: Most of you guys know me, but yo to the newbies. I'm Bram's BFF and updater, so if she doesn't update for a long time, blame me, not her, cause she's finished this fic. The only reason she wouldn't update would be because I was lazy. So, yeah. Just thought I'd put that out there. Adios. Review for Bram's sake. Finn is my 34****th**** fictional boyfriend. Peace out.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ahahahahaha…heeeey…long time no see…Well, might as well cut to the chase: sorry for the delay. Thoughts of updating just kept slipping away. I really appreciate all of the kind words. It's awesome to know that you all like reading what I'm writing. Now, if I'm not mistaken, my dear friend ChickWithThePurpleGuitar shall now speak: **

**Yo chillins. I have a message for a specific reviewer, but I forget who you are and I'm too lazy to check, so I'm just gonna say it to you all. One of you said you were glad this wasn't a oneshot. Well, just for future reference, it'll never be just a oneshot. Because Bram cannot write oneshots. She is physically incapable of thinking of a plot and creating something based on that plot that is under twenty pages. So never fear, readers. With brammy, you'll always have a second chapter. And a third. And probably a fifty-fourth. Now back to Bram-chan.**

**Indeed. So, here I give you the next chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 2

"In the _chimney?"_

Deryn grinned in satisfaction. "Aye! None of them saw it coming!"

Alek shook his head in pure amazement. "How you managed to pull all that off is beyond my understanding."

Deryn sighed and leaned back onto the palms of her hands with a wide, satisfied smile. She and Alek were sitting on the small stone bridge just outside of town, their feet dangling over the creek, watching the sunset. It was a perfect ending to a perfect date. They were, of course, an entirely appropriate distance apart, as they had been the entire afternoon. Alek smiled over at her and Deryn's heart rate doubled, her stomach convulsing with butterflies. "Thank you."

She blinked in confusion. "What?"

He looked down at the water below. "I was predicting that I would be all alone here, in Scotland. I'm very glad…"

Deryn held her breath…could he be saying…

"To have a friend."

Deryn practically deflated. "Oh. Oh, aye. A friend."

"Are you alright?"

She almost knew that he didn't really feel anything for her. But the _real_ question was, how did _she _feel? It was certain, she'd never felt this way about any lad before, but could it really be love? Alek was handsome…_much_ more handsome than any of the other boys she had ever seen. He was very kind to everyone, and so sweet that sometimes, she could barely keep herself from kissing him right on the spot. "Fine, just fine." She reached up and rubbed the back of her neck. "I should really get home. My Ma's probably gone mad with worry already."

"Yes, of course. I apologize for keeping you for so long." He stood and offered her a hand. "I have had a wonderful time."

With his help, she got to her feet, trying to disguise the fact that her heart was breaking into a thousand little pieces. "Aye, me too."

When she pulled the door slowly open, Deryn sighed in relief. Ma must be out of the house. Now all she had to do was slip up to her room—"And _what _do you think you're doing?"

Deryn turned slowly on her heel and offered her mother a sheepish grin. "Nothing."

"Oh, really?"

"Really!" Deryn insisted. "Just went out for a wee walk."

Ma raised an eyebrow. "That's not what Jaspert told me."

Once they were next alone, Deryn would beat her brother into a greasy squick. "And…what exactly did he say?"

"He said that you've been having a secret relationship with some strange Clanker lad."

Deryn groaned and hid her face in her hands. "I'm _not, _Ma. He's just a friend."

"Right," Ma said, hesitantly.

Deryn swore in her mind. She must have noticed the barely disguised sadness in her voice when she said that! "Serious! He's not even that handsome!"

Ma narrowed her eyes. "_That. _You said _that." _

"What about it?"

"That implies that you _do _think he's handsome."

Deryn huffed and crossed her arms. "I don't want to talk about it."

Suddenly, Ma's eyes softened and she took Deryn's arm, leading her to the parlor to sit down. "Deryn, you know it's alright to like someone."

Deryn clamped her hands over her ears. _"No! _I _do not _like him! We're friends! Besides," Deryn muttered. "Even if I _did_ like him, it's not like he'd ever like me back." It was true. Alek was completely oblivious, and she was sure that she would be barking awful at flirting.

"Are you _sure, _dear?"

"Absolutely."

Ma gave her one last doubtful look before standing, patting her on the arm, and leaving in silence. Deryn groaned and reached up, slapping herself in the face. "Daft girly _feelings!"_

* * *

She could tell that Finn was holding back laughter. "What do you want?"

"N…nothing."

Deryn glared at him. "Oh, spit it out."

Finn burst out laughing, bending over, literally slapping his knees. "You—you—Alek—Ahahahahahaha!"

Deryn groaned and rolled her eyes. "Leave off. Who'd you hear about it from?"

Finn's eyes widened suddenly and his laughter was silenced. "Um…well…it certainly wasn't Jaspert…"

Deryn fisted her hand. Jaspert wouldn't know what hit him.

Before Deryn could pound someone, a grin spread across Finn's face. "So, I heard that he kissed you!"

Deryn rolled her eyes. "Don't believe everything you hear, Finn. There was no snogging involved. He only said we were a couple to get out of a tricky conversation."

The boy carefully inspected her from head to toe. "So, why'd your Ma decide to dress you up today?"

"_Ugh." _Deryn groaned. Her ma had gotten it stuck somewhere in her daft attic that Deryn wanted to be turned into a barking _doll _just to try and impress Alek. She tried to untangle one of the light blue ribbons in her hair. "I do _not _want to talk about it."

He suddenly reached up to grab onto her hand and stop her from taking down her hair. "Leave it up. It's pretty."

"I look like a _four _year old, Finn."

"Nah." He flicked one of her curly blonde pigtails. "It's cute. Besides," he offered her a wink. "I can think of a few lads who'd be _quite _keen to see you."

Deryn smacked him in the arm. "Oh, leave off."

Finn chuckled. "Fine. But really, you look beautiful."

Wait, _what? _Did Finn barking McClaud just say she looked _beautiful?_

But Finn wasn't dwelling on it. "Where's Cailin? He said he would be here by now."

Deryn groaned. "You invited Cailin? You _know _I don't like him!"

"Oh, he's fine once you get to know him."

Deryn raised a skeptical eyebrow, but was silenced by an arm wrapped tightly around her chest, a body pressing against hers, and a low voice murmuring in her ear, "Hello there, lovely."

Deryn stiffened, jaw clenching in fury as she jabbed out an elbow behind her. "Cailin, off of me. _Now."_

She felt him wince as her elbow hit his ribs, but he didn't bother moving. "Oh, my. Temper much?"

_"Finn," _Deryn hissed. "Get him off of me."

"Now, there's no need for that, dearie," Cailin said, lips moving against her neck.

Finn grabbed Cailin's collar, hauling the boy off of Deryn. Once she was free, Deryn spun on her heel, her palm cracking loudly against his cheek. Despite the hit, Cailin only grinned. "I'm sorry, love. I just couldn't help myself."

Deryn narrowed her eyes. "Wipe that daft expression off of your face and stay _away _from me."

He only stepped closer. "Then it's lucky that it's opposite day!"

Deryn lunged forward and locked her hands around the boy's throat, screaming every curse that she knew.

"D—Deryn?"

She released his throat then spun about to face the new voice. "Oh, Alek!"

He looked worriedly over to Cailin who was gasping breaths, bent over. "Is…is everything alright?"

"Aye, just…joking." Deryn felt her cheeks flush slightly in embarrassment and she suddenly hoped that Alek thought she looked good too. "Did you…Or do you want anything?"

"I suppose I just saw you and wanted to say hello."

Finn grinned wickedly. "Well, we'll let you two ah…'talk' in private."

"_No! _Don't barking—" they were already gone. Deryn sighed. "Hello, Alek."

"You look," his cheeks turned slightly pink. "…nice."

Deryn's heart dropped to her toes and she suddenly felt tears burning in the back of her eyes. He thought she looked horrible! Blisters, she wished she could die. "Um, thanks. Did you have anything else you wanted to say?"

"No, not really."

"Aye, thought so," Deryn said, swallowing against tears. "I suppose I'll see you around then?"

He nodded nervously before darting away.

"Now, who was _that?"_

Deryn didn't need to turn around to know that it was Cailin. "A friend. He's just a friend."

**Sooo, OC's galore! Muchos gracias for reading. A review, please? Even if you really have absolutely nothing to say, just say that you've read it? Because, I know it seems silly, but I automatically assume that only the people that review my stories read them. Anyway, thanks again and happy Easter!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Alek closed the door tightly behind him and leaned against it, sighing. He had, once again, been forced to go out to the market, and as before, he had been mobbed. But still…was it awful that Alek had almost begun to _enjoy _the attention?

The attention of Classandra in particular. She was beautiful, with cream skin, long light brown curly hair, and large doe-brown eyes. She seemed rather popular within her group of friends, and somehow managed to weasel the promise of a future date out of Alek. There was something about those eyes…

A polite knock at the door made Alek jump, his hand immediately flying to the pistol under his jacket. He cursed the old door for its lack of a peephole before hesitantly pushing it open. Classandra stood there, tiny, delicate fist raised to knock on the door again. "Oh, hello, Aleksander."

Alek twisted his head around to see if any of his men saw the girl then stepped out, closing the door firmly behind him. "Classandra! What are you doing here?"

At those words, her eyes teared up. "I'm sorry. I suppose I'll be going…"

"No! Stay here. I'm not _angry,_ just a little surprised." Alek took in a breath, trying not to seem flustered by the girl's presence. "Now, what was it that you're here for?"

She looked at him through her long, dark eyelashes. "I was just wondering if you would be so kind as to escort me into town, perhaps for some tea."

Alek knew that he should say no. He should forget about this common girl. But those eyes… "I would love to."

Alek's arm was beginning to grow very sore. Classandra had practically dragged him everywhere, introducing him to every person they saw. "Aleksander?"

Alek jumped and snapped back to reality. "Hmm?"

"Would you like—"

"Blisters, is that you, Alek?"

Alek was about to greet Deryn, but Classandra beat him to it. "Miss Sharp, what are you doing here?"

Despite the girl's nasty tone, Deryn smiled. "Nice to see you too. And what are _you_ doing here?"

Classandra's grip tightened on his arm, her fingernails digging painfully into his arm. "I believe that I asked you a question first."

Deryn snorted. "Aye, and I didn't answer."

Classandra gasped, apparently scandalized. "How rude!"

Alek was very confused. Clearly, Classandra was the more unpleasant one!

"_Anyway," _Deryn sighed. "Hello."

"It's nice to see you," Alek said politely, smiling softly.

A slight blush rose onto the girl's cheeks and she avoided his gaze shyly. "Ah—"

Classandra cut her off, flashing a sharp-toothed grin. "Yes. Very…nice. Now, Aleksander dear—"

"Wait!" Deryn called. "Don't go yet. I wanted to talk."

"Well," she spat. "_We _didn't. So, why don't you just hurry on back to that disgusting thing you call a 'house' and leave us alone?"

Deryn's jaw clenched, but she kept her anger hidden away. "You know, just because I'm not as rich as you, it doesn't mean I don't live in a barking _house."_

"Oh, really? I just thought that ever since your father left you…"

Classandra just trailed off, but she seemed to have left her mark. For a moment, Deryn's blue eyes widened in hurt, but she quickly hid it away. Without another word, she turned on her heel and slipped away, appearing wounded somehow.

Alek blinked in surprise. "What was that all about?"

Classandra simply waved it off. "Oh, it's nothing. Her father abandoned her when she was just a little thing. It _is _most unfortunate, but Deryn does get rather melodramatic about it."

Alek only nodded slowly.

Deryn watched the water below her feet, sniffing back the tears that burned behind her eyes. She hated herself for storming off like that. It only gave Classandra what she wanted. But, it would have been even more humiliating if she'd started crying, especially with Alek watching like a hawk. A rather handsome and confused hawk, but still, a hawk.

She should have known that Alek was never really hers. No boy had ever glanced twice at her, so why should Alek have been any different? Deryn dropped her face down into her hands, feeling tears seep through her eyelids. It had torn her heart open, just seeing Classandra with Alek clinging onto her, but bringing up her Da was like having her heart ripped out.

She heard footsteps behind her and immediately silenced her sobs. "W—who's there?" She winced at the undisguised tears thickening her voice.

"…Deryn?"

Oh, how barking perfect. It was Alek. Deryn felt a few more tears drip down her cheeks, which were now hot with embarrassment.

"Are you all right?"

Deryn had always hated that question. Did she _look _barking "all right?" She resumed silence, hoping that he would take the hint and leave her to drown in a puddle of self-pity and tears. Unfortunately, the daft, sweet boy that he was, she heard him sit down. She dared a peek through her fingers and nearly gasped out loud. His legs were barely a hand's width away, much closer than before. She cringed away.

After a few long, teary minutes had dragged by, he spoke. "The sun set's pretty."

Deryn choked on a fresh onslaught of tears. Of all the barking bloody things he could have said…any comment she might have made died in her throat as his arm ghosted around her shoulders. Despite the sudden frantic drumbeat of her heart, Deryn found herself leaning closer into that warm embrace. Hesitantly, Alek gently patted her shoulder. "Are you…are you feeling okay?"

Deryn wrapped her arms firmly about him. If she closed her eyes, she could almost imagine an eternity of sitting there, hiding away from her troubles. "N…not really." Her voice sounded small and lost.

"Classandra told me what happened."

Classandra. The name to ruin _any _perfect moment. Her heart growing colder, she pulled her arms away, shrugged him off and slid away bit. "What do you mean?"

"She told me about how your father left you."

Deryn chuckled bitterly. "Left me? Aye, I suppose you could call it that."

"I'm sorry? I don't—"

"Don't listen to everything that slimy little bumrag says, Alek. My Da…he didn't just up and leave. He died in a ballooning accident. Aye, I suppose you might call that leaving." Deryn laughed humorlessly more, but it quickly turned into a hiccupping sob. Deryn once again hid her face away in her hands.

"I…I'm sorr—"

"Would you stop barking _apologizing!?" _Deryn dragged in a deep, ragged breath, and said in a more gentle tone, "Just…I wanna be alone, aye?"

Alek barely touched her shoulder, then sighed softly and stood. "Goodbye."

For a few minutes, Deryn was alone, wallowing in her own miserable self pity. Then, she felt someone crouch down beside her. "Hey, Der."

Finn knew better than to ask if she was alright. His hand rested firmly on her shoulder. "What's going on now?"

Deryn roughly rubbed the tears out of her eyes. "Nothing."

"Hmm." Finn sat himself down next to her, feet swinging over the creek. "Is that the same 'nothing' that's got Alek all confused and Classandra all smug?"

"Dunno," Deryn mumbled. "Maybe."

Suddenly, Finn chuckled. "Well, I must say, this is the first time I've seen you go all batty over a lad."

"Shut up," Deryn whimpered.

Finn leaned over to peer into her eyes, and suddenly, she couldn't stop the tears. "It'll be alright, aye?"

Deryn promptly wrapped him in a tight hug. Finn looped his arms around her. "Oi, no tears. You'll be fine."

Deryn's grip tightened. "That's what _you _think!" Deryn wailed. "You don't know how it feels!"

Finn sighed and pressed a kiss onto the top of her head. "Trust me, Der. I know what a broken heart feels like."

**SO sorry for the wait. Between the general business of school, having a role in my school play, reading waaaaaay too much Les Misérables fanfiction and…life, it's been hard to prepare any chapters of anything. Anywho, the reviews were beautiful and make my heart explode. I sincerely hope you haven't forgotten about this story and are willing to click that pretty little 'review' button and make my day. THANKYOUSES!**


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